Although there are 11 weeks in the quarter, we had our final practical exam this week. We also had a written exam. I received a perfect score on my written exam. My breads, Foccacia (sponge), Baguette (sponge) and Whole Wheat Sourdough (levain) were close to perfect. My Wheat had a bit of thin crust in one spot. While forming the ball I didn't roll tight enough, so part of the skin was thin. The seam on the bottom was good. We made two Baguettes, one of mine was pretty close to perfect. It was straight, good crust and even bottom seam. On my second baguette, my ends were a bit large. My Foccacia, looked good, it could have been a bit thicker, but it was still good. This was the only week we did not taste or even cut our bread. Since it was the final, all of that was left to Chef Sean. This was a great class. I learned a lot.
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This was a really busy week. Because of the time needed for fermentation, the only bread we could complete the first day was the Challah. My Challah was a 5 strand braid. We made the sponge and fillings for the other breads on Monday and finished them on Tuesday. Those breads were: Pannetone, Stollen, Kuglehopf, Danish and Croissant. The Pannetone, Stollen and Kuglehopf are quite similar. They are all considered holiday breads; very buttery with dried fruit and nuts. They taste quite similar as well. The difference is in the presentation. Kuglehopf is made in a special mold/bundt pan. The Pannetone is made in a tall round pan and the Stollen can be shaped in a variety of ways and is covered in powdered sugar. I really liked all of these breads and would make them at home. I am not fan of our Danish dough. It just seems flat. Our Croissants were heavy, but good. They were heavy because we did not have enough time to proof them. If this class were 7 hours instead of 5, I'm sure they would have been great.
We used: scale, table-top mixer, bowls, spoons, measuring spoons, stove top, pots and special molds. Because of Memorial Day, we only had class one day this week. That meant we did not have a chance to make everything that was on the syllabus. But we did make quite a bit. We made: Brioche, Portuguese Sweet Bread, and Sweet Rolls. The best part was that we were able to be creative in the presentation of these breads. For instance, in my group we made Chocolate Brioche and a Cinnamon Braid with the Sweet Roll dough. In fact, the Sweet Roll was made a different way in each group. One of the groups made a Classic Cinnamon Roll and the other group made a really good Sweet Bread. This was the first time we really got to be creative. It would be great to do more of that.
We used: oven, scale, spoon, measuring spoons, fermenting/proof box and convection oven. This weeks focus was Rye Bread. We made: Rustic Rye, Onion Rye Buns, Sourdough Rye & New York Rye. The odd man out was Danish Pastry. Both the Sourdough and New York required starters, so they were made using both days of class. With Rye, you can not mix to long, fast or with to much pressure. Rye also requires more hydration. This is because of the high levels of fibers and pentosans in a rye kernel. Pentosans attract and retain a lot of water. Rye also does not have a lot of yeast and does not have as much fermenting as the other breads we have made. In order for us to tell the difference in texture, Chef Sean cut one rye the night we made it and the other the next night. The bread cut on the day we made it, while fully baked, was almost to chewy. The second day bread was still tender, but had a firmer texture. Also the flavor was more developed. Then came the Danish. The good part was the filling. My team made the pistachio filling. The color was terrible, but the taste was fantastic! The dough fell victim to not double checking the formula. On Monday, I tasted the raw dough. Everything in me told me it was wrong and to make it again. I should have. The taste was just like Playdough-salt, salt and more salt. It also seemed like there was almost no yeast. According to the syllabus, week 9, I can redeem myself.
We used: the deck oven, stand mixer, scale, spoon, bowls and proof box. The second half of this class seems to be devoted to the kinds of breads that I gravitate towards. This week was all about whole grains and soakers. We made: Honey Wheat, Multigrain Sourdough, Crunchy Oat Roll, Sesame Sourdough and Oatmeal Pan Bread. Since I love bread with seeds, the Multigrain Sourdough was my favorite. That bread was the one that required a soaker. A soaker is exactly what it sounds like; the seeds or grains are soaked in a liquid to soften them a bit. They are not soggy, just a little softer. The soaked ingredients were: flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and rolled oats. I was surprised with how little liquid was used in the soaker. So surprised that I checked another groups soaker. I thought that I had written the formula incorrectly. The Crunchy Oat Roll also stood out. The roll had a cinnamon topping. The sweetness was mild and enhanced the flavor of the dough. I love whole grain bread. I think this has been my favorite week so far.
We used: scale, stand mixer, spoons, proof box and the deck oven. This week we had our midterm exam. We also had our regular production schedule. Our midterm focus was the Baguette. Chef Sean tested us on all aspects, preparation, timing, cleanliness, crumb, crust and taste. I'm sure we were tested on things we were not aware of. My baguette received a score of 48 out of 50. I received the same score on my written exam. We also made Lavash, Fougasse, Pita, Naan, and Pizza. Everything was good, but I especially liked the Naan. Since I have only had it in restaurants, I was very eager to make it. Both texture and taste were great. I also really enjoyed the pizza crust. I left mine on the thick side and topped it with sauce, mushrooms, red pepper, and garlic. The crust had a great flavor and really stood up the strong garlic. One of the things I discovered this week was that I really prefer kneading by hand rather than with the mixer.
We used: scale. deck oven, bench scraper, bowl, spoon and thermometer. Sourdough week two. This week however, also featured two distinct flavors: sweet & salty. We made pretzel bread (salty), Hawaiian sourdough (sweet), olive sourdough (salty) & pan de cioccolate (sweet). We also focused on two shapes, a boule and a batard. The Hawaiian bread was really tender and mildly sweet. We use that dough to make rolls for the Art Institute restaurant AIR MKE. The olive dough was made into a boule and the pan de ciocclate was made into two batards. We also made the whole wheat sourdough again. It was not as flat, but it was just as "wheaty" as before. The pretzel bread was great, but unlike any pretzel bread I have had before. Chef Sean said that was because this formula did not include lye. The olive bread was fantastic tasting and fantastic looking. If I make it again, I think I would try another kind of olive. Only because there are so many kinds of olives. The ciocclate bread tasted like a yeast brownie. That may sound strange, but that is the best description I can think of. I would pair that bread with goat cheese and maybe figs.
We used the deck oven, spoon, bowl, scale and a thermometer. I decided to not use a mixer this week and knead everything by hand. This week we made sourdough breads, We also worked with liquid and stiff levains. A levain is defined as a mature sourdough culture used to ferment the dough. We actually made them the week before. This is because we needed the culture to start working before we could make the starter for the sourdough. So on Monday we made the starters for sourdough (stiff), sourdough (liquid), whole wheat sourdough, and asiago sourdough. We also made puff pastry. I'm still a bit lost on why we made puff pastry this week. I definitely did not fit with the theme. We had a lot of down time on Monday. Tuesday was a different story. This was the first week where we really had to make and follow our own timeline. Everything turned out just fine except the whole wheat. The culture was not active enough, so the end result was slightly flat bread. Tasty but flat.
We used: oven, bowl, spoon, mixing bowl and a scale. This week was all about PRE-FERMENTATION. This was great because I got to work with things that I have only heard of, but never worked with. We made a poolish, biga and a sponge.. We made those on Monday night. Then on Tuesday night we used them to make Italian Torpedo Rolls (biga), Baguette (poolish and sponge), Pugliese, Filoncini Burro y Nocci (biga), Ciabatta (poolish) and my favorite, Foccacia (sponge). My cibatta did not turn out that great. That is what happens when you are not paying attention and add to much flour. It came together with the addition of more poolish, salt and water. However the result was tough and dense. But the Foccacia was awesome! If I do say so myself. It was light and tender. Chef Sean said with a little resting time, it could have been even lighter. We also started a levain. Next week we will be using it to make four different varieties of sourdough.
We used : bowls, spoons, deck oven, a scale, standing mixer and spoons. The first week was a challenge. Not because of the workload, but because with bread making there is so much "hurry up and wait". But that is ok with me. We have a small group and s with all lab classes we work in rotating teams. This week we focused on Lean/Straight Dough methods. On day 1 we made hard dinner rolls and whole wheat rolls. On day 2 we made baguettes, ballons and bagels. Everything we made turned out just fine, except the bagels. The first set did not have any bench rest. The second set was poached to long. The third set turned out just fine. I also had my first experience with the deck oven. We used the mixer, bowls, spoons, scraper (bench & bowl), scale and deck oven.
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AuthorKimberly-baker and food history enthusiast! Archives
March 2015
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